2016 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography: A Story of Wealth and Privilege

While the world waits for the first ultra-luxurious SUVs from the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce, tycoons fancying a tall seating position are left few choices. They could drop a nearly a quarter of a million bucks on a rip-snortin’ Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, and we’re pretty sure Mercedes-Benz is going to churn out another mega-expensive variant of the G-class. Neither of those options is particularly subtle—in fact, we’re pretty sure the six-wheeled Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 absorbs subtlety like a collapsing star sucks in light. No, for the truly discerning, there has always been the Range Rover, but if you’re keen to spend gratuitously, might we recommend the new Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography?

For starters, you know it’s fancy right off the bat because its name contains 34 letters. Most important, however, is the “SV”. We’ve seen Land Rover, we’ve seen Range Rover, and in the past few years, we’ve seen the “Autobiography” moniker applied to the top-shelf, ultra-luxurious models. That’s the case here, too, but the SV name—derived from Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO “Special Vehicle Operations” division—imparts a spicy undertone to the Autobiography’s otherwise sandalwood-smooth scent with a not-so-genteel application of power and handling.

The Autobiography’s Life Story, Told Biographically
For an extra whiff of, well, speed, Land Rover has bestowed upon the SVAutobiography the very same 550-hp 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 used in the high-performance Range Rover Sport SVR. The previous ne plus ultra Range Rover, the long-wheelbase Autobiography Black, made do with a 510-hp version of the same engine. We’d say an extra 40 horsepower and 41 lb-ft of torque (the SV has 502 lb-ft!) would be a useful upgrade on its own, but Land Rover didn’t stop there.

The long-wheelbase-only SV also inherits a new exhaust system with “a subtly enriched engine note,” Brembo front brake calipers, and a new front grille featuring a Graphite Atlas (gray) finish and polished chrome garnishes.

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